I'm baaaack. Miss me? I'm finishing this damn thing here and now. So read it and love it! At least read it? Yay! Well now, with that out of the way, enjoy!

A/N: Surprise guest at the end of the chappy. Go on, guess. I dare you to!

"I can't believe I had to sit through that whole thing." Kousuke groaned, looking at Rio, "I know you look like a kid, but do you have to act like one, too?"

"I do not!" The high-pitched squeal defended, "And there wasn't anything kiddie about it."

"Rio, it was Blue's Clues." The redhead reminded her.

"So? It's a very interactive show! You have to find the clues and then solve the mystery, it's perfect!"

"It's a show for children, what do you want next? A little kitchen with play-doh food?"

"Kousuke, you're such a jerk!"

"You two act like more of kids than I do." Travis pointed out, tilting his head.

The two just crossed their arms and huffed, as if on cue. Rio was about to say something else to her defense when another voice filled the air, "Rio?"

The shortest member of the Blade Children glanced back to see Nik leaning against a nearby wall. A small smirk covered his face as the hers lit up. She bounced over to him, officially dismissing Kousuke and Travis from the conversation. The two boys cast a glance at each other before sighing in defeat. They knew that Rio wouldn't be persuaded to leave Nik and just come home, so with worry in their thoughts, but logic telling them there's nothing they could do for now, they headed down the street.

"What are you doing here?" Rio questioned, innocently.

A slight shrug was given, "Just out for a walk."

She accepted this answer and grabbed his hand, "Then walk me home."

The brunette chuckled slightly and nodded, intertwining their fingers, "It's still early, though." He pointed out, "Want to go out for a bite to eat? I know this great little restaurant that's not too far from here."

"A date?" Rio wondered, blushing slightly at the idea, "Okay!"

Another chuckle and the two began walking down the street, specifically away from Rio's house and towards an area she was quite unfamiliar with. After a brief moment of silence, the small girl spoke again, "So, Nik..."

An eyebrow raised as she trailed off, "Yes?" he encouraged.

"Well...I was just wondering..." she looked off to the side before glancing back to him, "Did you know what would happen? You know...with Kalelle?"

Blue eyes blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected her to confront him about it; he'd never pictured Rio the type to bring up things like that. He took a moment to think about his answer, "Well..." He had no idea what to say. The truth was, he not only knew about it, he had a part in helping with it, "But if Rio knew that..." He shook his head. He couldn't let her go now after trying so hard to rope her in this much. It was bad enough being a Hunter going after a Blade Child in the first place, trust wise, but he actually really liked her. Unfortunately, everything he was telling her was a lie or half truth, and knew that once he told her the whole truth, there was no way she'd stay with him. He was a Hunter, after all, he knew what she was and he knew she'd have to be killed eventually. "There's no reason to get close." He reasoned with himself, "At least...not any closer than I already am. As long as I remember what she is and what will happen, I should be okay." Glancing over at her slightly worried face, though, he realized how hard it would be to be convincing enough to her while maintaining his emotional distance.

"Well what?" she asked, terrified inside that he would answer positive. She knew, since he was a Hunter, that it was more than possible that he'd known about the whole thing. Something inside her wanted not to believe it, though. Her gaze cast down to the ground, "When it comes down to it, though, I might have to fight him...even kill him."

She heard a soft sigh before he spoke again, "I knew something was going down." He confessed, "I didn't know for sure anyone would die."

"But you knew it was a possibility." She accused.

"I knew it was likely." His soft voice corrected, a hint of regret in it.

A frown fell over her face, "And you didn't say anything to me? If I'd known; if the others had known...Kalelle might still be alive."

"I...I know that." He replied, halting his walking completely as she stopped by his side, "But I'm a Hunter, Rio, you can't forget that. It's my duty. I might like you, but I can't have compassion towards all Blade Children for your sake."

"Kalelle wasn't even a Blade Child!" She yelled, tears ready to pour from her eyes.

"He chose to betray us and cooperate with them." He reminded her, "To us, he was no different."

"He chose to stay truthful to his brother." She corrected in a low voice, "He was a good brother-"

"And so he died." Nik finished, glancing at her, "The Blade Children must be exterminated, just because I like you doesn't change what will happen to you. You all say it's kill or be killed, right? Well, for us, it's kill you to save them."

"Them?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Yes, them, the human race. When your blood changes you, you won't even recognize your own friends. You'll just kill everything in your path. That's why we see the Blade Children and treat them as animals... because that's what they'll become. We can't afford to see them as human now or else it will cost millions of people their lives."

"So that's all I am to you?" she inquired, "An animal? I know what we'll become, I know what will happen, but... but that doesn't mean we have to die now, does it? We still have a few years left before that will happen, right? So why do we have to have our lives cut short? Why can't we live until then?"

"The Hunters can't take risks." He answered simply, "They can't expect that all the Blade Children will see things that way and just give up their lives. Most aren't that selfless."

"So you kill them now instead of later?"

"There's too many too spread out, we can't just wait until the last moment or there won't be enough time left."

"But why do you have to hunt children? We've been hunted since we turned five... those kids don't even get a chance to have a real life."

"What kind of life is it to be born just to kill?"

Rio hesitated, "I...I have a real life. I have friends, I go to school, I go out. Would you deny others that same thing?"

"And you live every day in fear; wondering if it'll be your last, never going out after dark alone, always sticking to the crowds. No one understands you besides others like you, you're alone in a room full of people. Is that the kind of life you want for others? That alienation?"

"Stop it." She ordered, glaring at the ground, "Just stop. Don't try to convince me that killing little kids is alright. Something like that can never be okay."

"So giving them ten more years of a life of fear and dread and letting them get just close enough that it'll hurt those around them badly when they die is better?"

"Stop trying to justify your murders!" She yelled, the sound bouncing off the empty alleys nearby.

"I'm not trying to justify anything." He spoke in a soft voice, looking at her with a cold, distant gaze, "I'm just trying to convince myself this is right."

"You...you mean being a Hunter...right?" she asked, a little worried by the look in his eyes. As he advanced toward her, she took a step back, "N-nik?"

"That's all I'm doing, right?" he asked, "Just...being a Hunter. Just doing my job, simple as that." His hand snapped out suddenly to grab her arm in a death grip.

"Ow, Nik, stop it." She half pleaded in a soft voice. She tried to wrench her arm from his hand but he was surprisingly strong for being so tiny.

"Shh..." He whispered, wrapping his arms around her, "Rio, relax, it's alright."

"You're scaring me." She sniffled back, biting back tears at what she knew was about to happen. She tried to pull out from his embrace, but once again, he had her held tight, "I can't even move." She thought, "What am I supposed to do? I won't cry for help, I can't." The bad thing about Rio was she was often too proud to admit defeat. Crying out for help, asking for assistance would be the ultimate defeat. If she was to die, she'd do it with as much dignity as she could manage.

"I'm sorry." He murmured into her ear, kissing below it lightly before drawing a hidden blade from his sleeve and running it lightly down her spine. A small whimpering sound came from her lips as a sadistic grin covered his. No matter how close he got, once they were helpless and at his mercy, he couldn't help but get a rush from it. It was what ultimately made him the perfect Hunter; he might regret it afterward, but in the heat of the moment, he couldn't do a thing but be amazed how easily a sharp piece of metal could cut through skin and bone. With one quick jab the blade pierced through her back and came out of her chest, puncturing her heart.

The one small yelp she let out was covered by his mouth as he left a soft kiss on her lips. After a moment, he let her fall back, a glint of metal sticking from her chest where the tip just barely broke through her skin. Regaining his senses again, he frowned slightly at the sight and sighed, "Really sorry." He thought to himself before turning and heading down the nearby alley.

"Nik is the least of your concerns at the moment." Turner said, lifting his hand from the shadows to show a gun in it.

"Rio." Eyes thought, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Kanone glanced around the room. There wasn't much space to dodge bullets if they started flying, "Our only hope is to get the guns away from them."

A low chuckle brought the three boys' attention back to the ones nearest to the elevator, "Trapped, just like the animals you are."

"I'll show you an animal." The brunette Blade Child threatened in his mind. He knew better than to speak out loud, though. Talking in a fight always let your guard down just a little. Fortunately, he could use that little fact to his advantage at the moment and did so. In an instant he was at Turner's side and his hand came up to wrap around the older man's throat and slam him into the nearby wall and his other hand grabbing the gun's barrel, aiming it away from himself and Eyes and Ayumu.

From there, everything went to hell. Ayumu went after Wallace, punching him straight in the temple and sending him flying into the wall. Eyes soon joined in the action as well, grabbing Connor by his shirt and shoving him into another wall, kneeing him in the gut. The other man growled and rammed his elbow into Eyes' jaw while Wallace retaliated by pulling out a knife and slicing it across Ayumu's chest. The brunette hissed and pulled back, grabbing a chair and snapping the leg off, swinging it at Wallace, who easily ducked and jabbed the knife into his side.

Kanone looked over at the struggling brunette and bashed Turner's head into the wall. Figuring that would be enough to keep him down for a minute, he went to Ayumu's rescue. Much to his surprise, Turner wasn't taken down quite so easily and yanked Kanone back by his hair, throwing him back into the wall, grinning. Determined to wipe that smirk off his face, Kanone grabbed his jaw in one hand and squeezed hard as bones snapped. The elder man drew back for a moment and Kanone took advantage of it by punching him hard in the chest and sending him into the wall, chuckling lowly as it cracked slightly from the impact.

Eyes quickly dodged a punch and grabbed Connor's wrist, crushing it and yanking his arm forward hard, kicking him in the chest as his shoulder dislocated. He let go of his wrist and kicked him again, sending him flying into a table. The two losing Hunters traded a glance, wondering if they needed to retreat. Wallace was doing fine, but that was just because Ayumu wasn't a fighter. At the same time, Kanone and Eyes began thinking if they should pull back and get Ayumu out of there; the Hunters wouldn't dare follow them in their condition. Before any more thoughts occurred, Turner made his decision on behalf of the Hunters and punched Kanone hard in the side where his missing rib was. A hiss left the Blade Child's mouth and the fighting resumed.

Wallace still had the upper hand against the younger Narumi and Ayumu was soon flung into a window. The impact cracked the glass, but fortunately for Ayumu didn't break completely. He stood, stumbling slightly as his vision blurred and had little time to react before the Hunter picked him up by his throat and once again shoved him into the wall. The faint ding of the elevator bell reached the brunette's ears, but he couldn't imagine who would know about this floor let alone come up here. Before he could register what was happening, Kanone had ripped Wallace off of him and with a strangely cold look in his eyes, yanked his head back, snapping his neck.

As the body hit the ground, the fighting paused once again. Ayumu looked up to his savior and blinked a few times as his vision seemed to double, "This is bad, I'm seeing two of everything." He thought, glancing around the room. He then realized there was only one Eyes, one Connor, one Turner, and one dead Wallace. He looked back up to Kanone again and found that the one that had saved him was just a bit taller and his shoulders just a bit broader. His hair fell slightly different and his eyes were more green. If anyone knew it, it was Ayumu, "Kalelle." He whispered.

The ex-Hunter let a small smile cross his face as he bent down in front of his boyfriend and run a thumb across his cheek, "Hey, love. Miss me?"

All Ayumu could do was stare before glomping the elder twin. A short laugh sounded as strong arms wrapped around him in an embrace. Looking up to make sure once again it was really his dead lover, he smiled for the first time since the boy's supposed death. He buried his face in the soft neck and closed his eyes. Kanone wrapped an arm around Eyes' waist, a smile also found on his features as he noticed Connor and Turner had retreated.

Suddenly, Ayumu looked up into the olive-green eyes and asked the question that had to be on everyone's mind, "How?"

"Figured you'd want to know." Kalelle replied, standing up and helping his boyfriend to his feet, "Come on, downstairs."

The brown-eyed boy blinked, slightly confused, but nodded nonetheless and followed the taller one into the elevator with Eyes and Kanone. Once the doors reopened to the lobby floor, the hospital was still disturbingly empty. The lights overhead flickered in and out, except for a few that were shining as brightly as they could over a certain figure. Ayumu blinked again, unable to determine quite who it was. Short brown hair, hazel eyes, and a cocky smirk on his face. All of a sudden, it registered with him, "Brother..."

Kanone and Eyes' attention snapped up at the mention of the elder Narumi. Sure enough, Kiyotaka was seated in the waiting room of the hospital, arms crossed and leaning back in his seat as if he'd been waiting a while. The younger brother looked between his boyfriend and brother, wondering how Kiyotaka could have saved Kalelle. The twin understood the younger one's confused look and explained.

Flashback

"Not without you." Kanone whispered, "I'm nothing without you."

"You are." Kalelle assured him, "I know you are. Why else would I love you?"

A slight blush, that didn't go unnoticed by his brother, covered Kanone's face as he placed another, gentler kiss on his lips, "I love you, too." he told him. Everyone in that room knew Kanone didn't love his brother like Kalelle loved him, but it was enough.

A slight nod to Eyes and Travis and one more glance to Ayumu, mouthing 'I love you' to him, and Kalelle smiled at Kanone, "Goodbye." he whispered, backing up a couple of steps and slamming his foot down on the weight-sensitive section of ground he was standing on. The force from his foot tricked the sensors into believing weight had been added, and the floor under the older twin dropped out. In an instant, Kalelle was gone from their sights and their lives. He closed his eyes, knowing he'd made the right choice, "I hope this doesn't hurt him too badly." He thought.

All of a sudden, he hit the ground hard and winced slightly. He knew that the entire thing would blow in a few minutes. Still, he knew, for Kanone and Ayumu, that he had to try his best to get out. Standing and looking around, he saw that he was in a prison-like cell, the door locked. A long hallway stretched out of his sight and he made his way to the door. As much as he kicked and pulled on it, the bars were new and strongly bolted into the ground. Sliding down to the ground, he sighed in slight defeat. He'd figured there would be no way to make it out in time and closed his eyes. The only consolation he had was that his boyfriend and brother were safe.

"Giving up already?" a voice asked outside of the cell.

Kalelle's gaze snapped up to see Kiyotaka leaning against the bars, the same smirk on his face as always. He blinked a few times, "What are you doing here?"

The brunette rolled his eyes, "I'm here to get you out." He informed the younger one, as if he should have already known that.

The ex-Hunter watched as the door swung open to release him. Watching Kiyotaka warily and stepping out of the cell, he just had to know, "Why?"

"Well, it'll make my brother sad." He explained, simply.

"And you care?"

Kiyotaka headed down the long hallway and chuckled softly, "Of course." He glanced back, noticing that Kalelle still wasn't quite sure, "What do you have to lose?" He questioned, rhetorically. Knowing that he really did have nothing else to lose, he nodded and they quickly made their way out of the building seconds before it exploded in a flash of light and sound. They came out on a hill overlooking the others. Kalelle started to head towards his brother and boyfriend but Kiyotaka stayed him with a hand on his shoulder, "Not yet." He said in a firm voice.

"What do you mean not yet?" Kalelle demanded.

"If you go now, things will go badly." He explained, turning and heading in the opposite direction. He glanced back as Kalelle hesitated, eventually following. A faint smile crossed Kiyotaka's face, disappearing after only a second, "Just trust me."

Finally it's done. I don't even know if anyone's still reading this, but there you go. And review!